When the news first broke of four United States swimmers being robbed at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, most of us gasped.
That this could happen to representatives of our nation was astounding and upsetting. Many clamored for an investigation. The four swimmers, now in the public spotlight, are regretting making these claims.
Ryan Lochte, Gunnar Bentz, Jack Conger and Jimmy Feigen initially fooled the public into thinking they had been viciously robbed at gunpoint while on their way back from a party. This was determined to be a lie by Brazilian officials, and the truth was almost more disheartening.
In reality, the visibly intoxicated swimmers stopped to use the restroom at a gas station and ended up urinating outside the building and destroying property within.
Had Brazil not been quick to refute the swimmers’ story and bring forward evidence to the contrary, we might have all gone on feeling sorry for these adult men.
The issue at hand raises alarm at how quickly people rush to believe victims of privilege. In this case particularly, some of the public jumped to conclusions due to Brazil’s perceived but unfounded reputation as a crime-ridden wasteland.
Few people doubted the swimmers when they first made these claims. Why not?
When everyday citizens are swept up in allegations such as these, they are generally met with more skepticism. This is strongly juxtaposed with the outpouring of unconditional public support for our national heroes, especially when the events occur on the world stage and feelings of national pride are at play.
The public’s inability to objectively evaluate these types of allegations is a worrying trend that only serves to weaken the already-weak and elevate those who may be more well-known to the public.
What have these athletes done to deserve our defense that innumerable people across the United States have not?
Our willingness to defend them could stem from many places. Even a potentially harmless justification like national pride is problematic because it suggests we perceive certain foreign countries as inferior.
While this event has been sorted out and those involved have apologized, this leaves a bad taste about the U.S. in the world’s mouth.
Perhaps this issue will illuminate inequity in the treatment of public figures versus regular individuals. This is not to say we should be unfairly skeptical of the claims of public figures, rather that we should approach these cases with the same thoughtfulness and common sense we would normally use.
This way we can investigate the facts without blindly leaping to discredit certain parties and defend others or, in this case, letting things like national pride obscure our judgment.
